All the King's Men
by Shotgunnova
Summary: Postgame fic. How Delita's long and prosperous reign was successful through the conjoined efforts of four different men, each their own master.
1. Prologue

Like the advancement of sciences, contemporary history also comes into being by building on the past; or, more specifically, the mistakes of the past. In my lifetime, it was made known that the sovereign Delita Hyral had used others as a stepping stone to the throne, and the intrigue stirred a maelstrom of energy within me. Manipulation was a postulate for the times Delita lived in, but what poured salt in the wound on his legacy where the memoirs and collections of two men who were stifled by fate and downtrodden by the king himself.

Extensive research found the man crossed paths with many famous names of his time, including the esteemed Olan Durai and the heretic Ramza Beoulve, who is now confirmed to have been a classmate of Hyral's. But, even as important as they are to the history of Ivalice, they fail have much relevance in this instance. Why you ask?

Delita was a poor ruler. He survived on instinct and intuition, never knowing the power one could have with an adequate education. He graduated from a military academy, but he never would have gained the mental apparatuses to govern a nation from there. So, how did he do so well in his reign? iHe had help./i Not the kind that just consulted, but the kind that ruled for him.

Record books make little mention of Hollister Chamberlain, Soren Tartar, P.R. Antirine, and Kleff Survane, but Delita's lengthy stay in power--nearly all aspects of it--can be attributed to the contributions of the four men. Together the four men formed a political machine whose roots took hold of Ivalice and united it; Delita's role as a figurehead gets all the credit, but without these four, he would be mentioned as little as Olan or Ramza.

In the progression of history, each person is recognized at least once it seems. Now, the four who swept Ivalice up in an irrefutable golden age will surface again.


	2. Inauguration

**Chapter I - Inauguration**

Zeltennia's splendor was already a sight to behold on a regular day, but in the face of ceremonies and festivities the city's occupants became joyful and effervescent. Bustling through the town's arches and columns were peasants and nobles alike, all anticipating the event which was to take place. This time, it was Delita's ascension to the Ivalician throne.

The town's atmosphere was overjoyed, but not all for the same reason. Some were thankful that the Lion War had finally been ended and some happy that Goltana's grasp on the local economy had been loosened by his death. Whatever the motivation for their friend's opinions, no one cared; celebrations were in order, and that took precedent.

The city smelled wonderful. Breezy smells of freshly-baked bread, outside flower displays, fruit and vegetable bazaars, and restaurant items saturated everyone's minds until they could almost taste them. Not a soul roamed the town with a frown on their face.

But a stern-faced knight, carried by a black chocobo with a penchant for the same emotion, quickly became the lone exception. He rode erect in his saddle like a military man, his vision focused straight ahead despite the colorful world around him. His placid face was marked with a bushy black mustache, and the helmet he wore concealed hair of similar color. A few onlookers pointed at him and his steed, talking amongst themselves about the dark knight who had just arrived. He motioned the chocobo down a left-hand street with an imperceptible motion of the reigns.

This man dwelled in a world foreign to others, one of constant pessimism and blackness, always seeing things as how they make to occur rather than how they end up. A present tense world did not interest him, for he was a visionary of sorts, never allowing the world around him to overwhelm him with talk of revolution and 'change for the better'. He had made up his mind to never be satisfied.

Through the cobbled passageways leading between buildings, the chocobo carried its master on towards the citadel where the gala for King Delita was to take place. "Everyone has sovereign syndrome," he mocked in a breathless whisper. The knight's steady eyes followed two peasants carrying smoked hams and baguettes down the street ahead of him. "Do you think life will be better, you foolish herd-members? You must be happy that a king of your sort has pulled himself from the mud and into the king's seat." The chocobo perceived its master's body shake with internal laughter and it bobbed its head as if to confirm its agreement, snickering in coarse _kweh_s.

Past the thatched-roof houses and brick-layered residences, the skyline opened up. The chocobo walked ahead a bit, stopping on top of a lumpy knoll. The man--known to some as Antirine--gazed sullenly ahead, barely interested in the structural bravado of the castle before him. "Walled in, like a tomb." He reflected the sight over a cigarette, before setting the chocobo down the road like a gust of wind.

"Much obliged, my good man," said the professor to the coachman as he exited his carriage. "If you could bring my packages and luggage to my quarters within a half-hour that would be most kindly of you." The coachman bowed with an obedient "yessir" and disappeared into the castle. The professor followed suit, savoring the nature and architectural design of the entrance's columns on his way up the stairs. "Hmm, a little outdated, but very nice..."

Inside, the professor was blown away by the detailed interior of the palace. He had expected it, of course, but it was still a nice experience to familiarize oneself. For one as observant as he, it was mental anesthesia. He quickly ran over to all the nearest works of art, cradling his hefty face with a plump hand as he analyzed the layering of the paintings, their painters, the overall techniques used. At the opposite end of the room, his pudgy fingers traced and groped the wonderful statuettes, then tested for dust and age of the material like a venerable connoisseur of art. "I wonder what kind of chisel was used to do this," he remarked, rubbing his thumb across a pedestal's surface. "Maybe a delicate rasping tool?"

"Sir, your bags are in your room."

The professor turned around, startled, finding a pale-faced butler staring at him. "Has it been a half an hour already?" He wiped his balding forehead with his sleeve.

"It has been two half-hours, actually, sir. This way." The butler started off, a trailing hand beckoning for the professor to follow. He did.

On the third floor, the butler pushed open a door, standing back to let the professor take his first step inside. "It's glorious!" he barked, seeing the bare space. "Two adjoining rooms!" He didn't even have to close his eyes to imagine the places the bookshelves, tables, and alchemist's tools would go. Sure that the professor was satisfied, the butler sidled out the door.

Like a vulture, the man strode around his wrapped up items, inspecting them all to see if the content labels had fallen off. "Nope," he intoned, wandering to the drawn curtains. They opened with a quick lug of the side cord, the sunlight illuminating all the dust floating around. "Thankfully, I have no allergies," he commented. "Soon the room will smell like a real place of working."

Professor Hollister Chamberlain had grown up in Lesalia and had accumulated a pleasant work ethic and a dedicated disposition towards all things relating to academia. The pleasantries of the West now seemed to pale in comparison to the lofty structures and blue-collar societies of the East, and the stay--however long its length--would probably be chockfull of solemn characters bustling about with their heads elsewhere, he assumed. "I'll scrutinize and adapt, yes, that's just what I'll do."

"Book boxes, how could I forget you," he silently scolded, maneuvering around his other cargo to them. The pleasant face lit up as he unfastened the first's twine, unearthing a plaque beneath a load of perfectly stacked literature. "Awarded to Professor H. Chamberlain," he recited, emulating the presenter's voice he had heard at the dedication ceremony long ago, "for achieved excellence in the business and the sciences". Greeting the gilded plaque with a kiss, he gently laid it back in the box and hurried out of the room to inspect the castle's other neglected treasures.

Kleff Survane sat on a wooden stool in the kitchen, conversing with maids passing by. In the week since he had arrived, he had taken up root there, expressing his refusal to explore the castle's stateliness. "It's a waste, I tell you," said he to the head cook, who had started to make a habit of stopping by to chat. "I'm not that interested in the castle's grandeur or refined things. In fact, I'd much like to have my room on the first floor so I could see little of them as possible. I might as well pack a lunch and live under the stairs to get a head start." The cooking personnel he talked to could not tell whether he was low maintenance or lazy, so they agreed that he was both.

In fact, if you had known Survane in his earlier years, you would have found someone who diligently walked from location to location, attending meetings and conferences with an up-and-comer's charisma. A disaster had practically stripped his ambition away and he now scratched out a living as an accountant--a damn good one. While he stopped climbing the business ladder, he had not thrown away his schooling. Dissociating himself from non-mandatory living had given him time to sit in his third-floor room and pore over books to help his business knowledge grow firmer. Survane didn't want to gain more obligations and responsibility, but he didn't really know what he wanted, so he studied anyway.

Tired of Survane's incessant appearance in the kitchen, the staff finally decided to domesticate him into the castle's other activities. When he appeared the next day, they blocked way to his stool and cast him out. The sense of abandonment made its impression in the young man. He didn't know where anything was, save the meeting rooms and his residence, and he spent enough time in those already.

His legs moved residualyl up the grand staircase. A disheartened face glanced at the lively clerks and attendances moving by him with a second glance. "Is this how it's going to be," he wondered, heading towards his room in a huff. He didn't want to be preoccupied all day long and he didn't want to have nothing to do. "How can I be so damned indecisive about everything?"

"Oh, blast," shouted someone from a room nearby.

Survane lost interest for a moment; he didn't want to help anyone with their boring work, but there was nothing to do anyway. Sighing heavily, Survane forced himself to open the door where the voice came from. A sulfurous draft snaked into his nostrils, and he saw before him a lavish room full of boiling chemicals and mechanical contraptions.

"What is..."

A well-dressed man appeared from the next-door room, carrying an array of equipment in his arms. Kleff's interest was piqued. He had trained as an engineer before he came to Zeltennia, and was quite good at what he did. He immediately knew every tool the man held in his hands, and he wanted to use them for some odd reason. Survane watched as the man disappeared behind a curtain subdividing the room, reappeared, and then left into the other room. Each billow of the curtains wafted chemical aromas to him. "Interesting indeed. I can't believe I didn't notice this man before," Survane muttered, his eyes still going over the apparatuses and flasks. He shut the door and began inspecting them, greatly interested in what the scholarly man was making. As he approached the curtain, the man ran out from the bordering room and slid in front of him, arms outstretched.

"I'm sorry, my good man, but you can't go back there."

Survane figured this was some restricted area, but the curiosity got the better of him. "What's back there?" he inquired, craning his neck to see through the curtains. The man craned in front of his so he couldn't see.

"I'm sorry, but this is for professionals only. Not to be rude, my good man, but you could get seriously injured in here. You should leave if you value your own well-being."

"I have a degree in engineering. You know, from Goug."

The man's eyebrows rose peculiarly. "Goug, you say? I never expected someone from so far away to make their way here. I'm rather inclined to let you in here, but I feel I must to have proof just the same. Do you have your degree on hand?"

Survane ran to get it.

Anyone looking for Soren Tartar at a particular moment could usually find him in the throne room having lively discussions with the soon-to-be king. Delita would give his vindications the best he could, but Tartar's virtuoso know-how was a massive, overpowering force. The young Hyral never felt quaint around Tartar, for he always visualized him as a man whose professionalism was well-brought, but he never liked having his ideas rebutted either. "Do you know why the farmers have rioted," he would ask Tartar, getting the logical reply of "they're dissatisfied because they don't make the rules".

Tartar was the man of the hour in Castle Zeltennia, and had the knowledge of what was going on nearly everywhere. In most matters he was akin to a military general, coordinating menial and crucial tasks alike. Delita felt he was a most trusted advisor and the rest of the castle regarded him in the way. He might not have had the supremacy in all matters of state, but he was a head council on the war board just the same. He was a gentleman in the very sense of the word, and when he was furious over something, he was furious. He grasped the sense of obligation and branched it out, but even his hands were full when the inauguration ceremonies had to be sifted through.

"Come in," he said insipidly when the secretary dropped papers on his desk. He thanked her in the same tone when she left. Normally he would have initiated a conversation, but the work at hand needed to be completed and he could permit a few hurt feelings.

He sat back in his chair, turning pages in front of his face. "Absentees, expected attendance outcome, catering, music ensembles." He wrote his replies in long-strung shorthand, pushing them across his desk for when his secretary came back in.

Fifteen minutes later, Tartar was exhaling cigar smoke when the door opened. The secretary's face popped through the door, looked to him, looked to the desk. "Are you done, Soren?" He had requested she drop the formalities.

"Yes, they're all there. If you'd check over, I'd be much appreciative." Inhale.

She smiled and carried the papers away, gently shutting the oak door behind her. Tartar took the time to relax, knowing that another stack of papers was being made down on the bottom floor and they'd be arriving in the next fifteen minutes. He scooted the ash tray towards him and threw the cigar in it. "Ahh, sweet, sweet silence." His feet found their way to the desktop, and he leant back.

Fifteen minutes later, another batch of papers came. "Let's see here," he said aloud, underlining the words with his quill as to catch every word. "Acceptance speech, ready and sent. Heretic list, updated and filed. Catering schedule, handed out already. Paychecks...unsigned." The next ten minutes were reduced to writing signatures; he pushed the papers to their waiting spot, then walked to the window.

The view from above showed the cliffs and crags above the North Loe Sea, the salty waters battling it out with the moonlight. Little campfires were placed along the cliffs but they didn't compare to the two lighthouses embanked on the minute peninsulas jutting out from either side of the castle. They illuminated the humid air and were a great way to deter invasions in the area.

"Tomorrow is the inauguration and the king will be out in public. Hopefully any dissenters will make the right decision and stay at home. I'm glad I didn't send out invitations." Chuckling, he closed the window blinds and walked to the door. With his methodical thinking patterns, how could things go wrong anyway?

The next morning, Delita called Tartar, Hollister, and Antirine to a board meeting to planning for the day's events. Delita arrived first, sitting at the head of the table, then Tartar, sitting at the opposite end, back to the door. Antirine arrived soon after, stone-faced and quiet; he took a chair on Tartar's left side. Hollister arrived next, tagging another man along behind him.

Delita jumped to his feet like he had been sitting on a spring, pointing to the uninvited guest. "He does not belong here. Get him out at once!"

Hollister stopped. "Your majesty, this man has been helping me with my work and I can assure you that he is a very trustworthy individual. He's actually quite useful to my work."

"But does he have use ihere/i," Delita said sardonically.

Hollister looked at Survane so he could speak for himself. "I...I...I'm a very good diplomat, sir." Though it seemed like a lie, the truth was down below his nervous, stammering voice. He had acted as a diplomat for six years, the job taking him from Limberry to Igros to Warjilis. He smiled as best he could under the circumstances.

Delita cocked his head. "Diplomat? Diplomat. Can you confirm this, Chamberlain?" Hollister nodded his agreement, and both sat down beside each other at the table. Delita eyed the newcomer suspiciously, but the annoyance he felt soon subsided.

"Now gentlemen," he began, "how are things going to be run today? You first, Tartar."

Tartar stood up, dressed in a black suit and very poised. "Your Majesty, I have, myself, read over the speech and I can say it seems like it will hook the people very nicely. The plan is for you to walk to the podium when the band--which is extraordinary, might I add--finishes playing "Farewell to Yesterday". At that point, you are to give your welcome speech. There is a copy on the podium and here is also a copy." Delita took the pages, and began to read over them.

Tartar began again. "When you speak, make sure to emphasize the bolded words, and make sure to use eye contact at regular intervals. The crowd will be pleased with that. Afterwards, the band will start playing and you have the choice to stay and talk to the audience, shake their hands, that sort of thing, you know. Or, you can exit the platform and attend the party afterwards. It's all up to you."

Delita fingered and shaped his growing mustache as Tartar talked, tossing around the choices in his mind. The other three sitting at the table watched his mouth fidget over the suggestions. "Well," he finally began, "I want to gain even more favor with the crowd, but the security reasons are still large. I trust there will be guards patrolling the outskirts?"

"As a matter of fact," said Tartar, "I've entrusted Mr. Antirine sitting over there with controlling the crowd. I've looked over his record and I can personally say it is very sufficient for the task."

Delita looked to Antirine, sitting in full armor with his arms crossed. "Well, Antirine, are you up to the task?" All faces turned to the dark knight.

"Sure," he muttered. "I've yet to fail." His eyes flew to Delita who seemed to be reassured by the knight's gruff accent and buoyancy.

"Well, now that the crowd issues are covered, it comes down to the miscellaneous things. Did you whip up some of those fireworks, Chamberlain?"

"Oh, yes, Your Majesty, I made quite a lot of them yesterday. There should be a nice nighttime display when the time comes, and I made some for daytime use as well, just in case. In summary, it will be a very colorful event." Hollister sat content in his chair. If he was asked for an exact number, he was ready to give it.

"Good, good! I have confidence in your abilities, so all that's left is..." His face gained an inquisitive look when it fell on Survane. He looked at the perspiring man and saw him avoiding eye contact with him. "You there, what's your name?"

"K-k-kleff Survane," he spattered, adding in a quick "Your Majesty" to avoid a misstep with the people he had just met. Delita didn't seemt o notice.

"Kleff, since you're a diplomat, I'll give you an important job. Rally some support in town for the event. I'm sure the turnout will be just fine, but see if you can get them even more excited. Hollister made some of fireworks for the occasion, so supply them to the people as presents from me. As a matter of fact, you could get started right now." He purposely made the job important-sounding because he knew the poor man didn't want to sit in the room any longer.

Survane scooted his chair back, thanked Delita, and scurried away.

"Now then, gentlemen, is there any other matters of state to discuss? We might as well save ourselves a trip here later on."

Tartar arose once more, brushed a few wrinkles out of his suit and began: "It has come to my knowledge that acts of piracy have been committed on the coastal cities of Ivalice. Mostly around the areas of Yardow, Riovanes, and Goug, but they are being suppressed by knights of the respective towns. Not likely to happen in Zeltennia, but we do have spheres of influence in those three cities, so I thought you might want to know in case your hold on said areas were to be broken."

"What are 'spheres of influence' for the first part, and what industries to we have in those cities?" Delita asked, scratching his head. Antirine coughed at the question, hiding a chuckle, but Delita failed to catch the relevance.

Tartar smiled at the question. "Spheres of influence are regions were control is exerted over another nation or kingdom. In this case, Zeltennia has a grip on industries in Yardow, Riovanes, and Goug. As for what industries we control and where: metal refining in Yardow and Goug; Wheat and corn in Riovanes."

"Oh, I see" was the only reply Delita gave.

Tartar did not sit down. "Back on subject, did you want to do anything in those areas? Things like aid, soldiers, or money could all be of use and they would help us keep an upper hand on our economies in that area."

Delita looked nonplussed and indecisive. Tartar, having kept tabs on Delita's past, knew of his upbringing and let the question slide. "Perhaps another time, Your Majesty," he said, sitting down. Delita's expression changed to a relieved one.

Antirine, showing the thin wisps of a smile, looked across the table to Hollister, who glared back, obviously not impressed with his showing moments before. An unfazed Delita stood, looking at all of his retainers. "Well, since all the issues seem to have been resolved, you can all get back to your routines. See you at the inauguration, gentlemen."

An anxious gathering simmered with static energy outside the castle gates, waiting for the sun to finally disappear out over the Finath. Instinctively, a few people had brought shawls and umbrellas, claiming to their friends that the reddening sky meant that a thunderhead was approaching. Most were dressed in their most luxurious evening attire--silk and satin for the richer persons and burlap for the destitute. Most intermingled as if the foreshadow to celebrations had broken the barricades of upper- and lower-class citizenry. "When's this gonna start here," bellowed one gentleman who appeared to have gotten drunk in anticipation for the night ahead. A few laughs came up, and the man was shoved aside to make room for others. The hum died down to a whisper when the town's church bells sounded in the city, marking the beginning of the night. When the ninth and last peal faded, the crowds' voices erupted, turning into a booming chain reaction. The gates shivered with life and slowly began opening, but the throngs of bodies sprung through in a deluge before the metal bars could come to a stop.

"The coronation ceremony will begin shortly and the attendance is probably the biggest these walls have ever held, I'd imagine. They come to see a ruler born before their eyes." Tartar, clad in a white breastplate and robe, leant on the stone railing, looking down upon the platform Delita would occupy in the coming minutes.

"They come like moths to a torch," remarked Antirine, biting into his third cigar. He was dressed in his same outfit, black on black, looking away with the same cold demeanor he had in the war room. "Perhaps the turnout would be half as high if there were no food being cooked for the occasion?"

"Always the cynic, aren't we? The night is young; the king will soon take the step into manhood; the festivities are just getting started. You can even hear the snap-crackers and fizzlers that our friend Survane passed out to the crowd earlier. Lighten up and everything will be as smooth as it was planned out."

"I'll lighten up once I get some liquor in my system, Soren."

"Nonsense, you have the easiest task out of them all. I can tell you with a bit of exactitude that the need to crack skulls and break arms won't arise. I should hope you would enjoy the fragrance of the location and attempt to stay sober until sunup."

Antirine laughed gruffly, flicking the remark aside. "Why waste the night divining meaning? If you have an itch, you scratch it. I know you have the sensible drink now and then, so don't try to deny it."

"Oh, I won't deny it. Even so, sometimes a person has to have a drink to stay sane. I think I'll go get one myself before I'm assigned to do any further work and, on that note, I part in good company. Farewell for now." His white cape eddied as he turned and a moment later the fleeting crackles of his footsteps were dying away in the stairwell.

"There's a sobering thought," the dark knight mused, crushing the remains of his cigar into the hewn stone. He looked off to the castle grounds where, from the gate to the grandstand, campfires were springing up. The scent of roasted meat on spits drifted to the castle walls. It hooked in Antirine's nostrils, and he started walking down the stairwell, popping his crystalline sword out of its sheath on the way. Maybe he could grab some food and drink while he greeted his crowd.

Delita paced around his lavish room, the ceremonial red robe and crown already atop his head. His hand clenched and unclenched in fidgety motions, like he was grasping a thought and losing it again. Even though he hadn't taken ascended to his kingdom yet, he maintained the air of one ready to step up to the responsibility, one who desired change. Tartar watched him out of the corner of his eye from his seat across the room, sipping on some brandy he had scored from the kitchen awhile before.

A mammoth crowd was amassing below the room's decorated balcony, celebratory cries and exclamations rocketing upwards and through the curtains. Delita stopped his pacing, listened, and began again.

"The time has almost arrived, Your Highness," Tartar chimed, standing from his chair. "The band is ready, your subjects are ready. All you need to do is take that first step towards your people. This is the moment of a lifetime, so please, make sure you're composed."

"I know what you mean, but..." Delita trailed off, leaving the rest of the excuse in his throat. This was the time to rise to the occasion; this was the time to leave behind his former image and gain a new one. He breathed deeply, as if to hold his breath, and exhaled his worry. "This is it, Soren. I'm going."

Delita flashed his boyish smile and slowly walked to the balcony. It amazed Tartar at how young this man was, who would take the reins of the kingdom he knew barely anything about. This would be the liege he would serve until his death, and he would do his duty to ensure that it was as free of hassle as possible. "...this is my vow," he murmured, walking over to the curtain and listening. To think, a minute ago he was standing next to a friend and now...now, he was a king. "Foolishly sentimental," he chuckled. "Must be the brandy talking."

Bolstered on its own satisfaction and bliss, the crowd swelled, dashing itself against the castle walls in one, single motion. Delita walked to the edge and threw his hands upward, feeling the complements and praises warm his entire being. "There is no feeling like this," he spoke silently through his grin, closing his eyes to absorb every minute of it. His elevated arms slowly fell, and with them, the decibel level of the crowd. The listeners were on the fringe of another cheer.

"I welcome all of you to this very special day!" The sea of people burst into cheer, even louder than the previous showing. Delita quieted them once again. "For it is not only you who are opening up your arms to me, but I am opening up my arms to you, Zeltennia!" The crowd erupted again, applauding at the very mention of the kingdom's name. Inside, Soren laughed with for the sheer momentum of the moment, almost choking on his liquor in doing so.

"My people," Delita began once again, now the crowd had settled into a thin ripple of voices, "It is my utmost honor to be here this day. Though I suffered halfway across the land, I suffered with you! My broken spirit mended with yours! Your hunger, disease, war...I have felt it all"--Delita pounded his hand over his heart--"and, now, I will nurture this kingdom the best I know how, and I hope you will stand alongside me; for, this day begins not only the celebration of a new era in Ivalice, but in a new way of life for everyone!"

If the people were happy before, they exploded. Antirine had taken a seat on the western castle wall, forced to retreat as the crowd expanded and stamped in place, empowered by their new ruler and ready to take whatever action they were bidded. Delita saw this and was pleased, evidently catching the feverish excitement the crowd was making.

"With the coming of dawn, this land will be born anew. No longer will the people be forgotten, no longer shall the people be mistreated. The framework is already in place. Will you help me finish it!" The crowd let loose a guttural roar, knocking Antirine and his bottle held out of their seat. Another spontaneous roar superseded the last as Delita threw his arms up once more. The crowd was ablaze.

Hollister and Kleff walked into Delita's bedroom just as Soren was reaching for a new decanter. "How goes it, my good fellows" he asked jovially, pouring himself a refill. "I should hope you're each having a pleasant time as a new era of Ivalice commences."

The professor nodded, taking the decanter in hand. "Of course, my friend! There's nothing more invigorating than seeing a new king and kingdom uniting as one. The two make a great couple, as I'm sure you've been hearing outside. A brilliant display, if I may say so. And that reminds me! The fireworks I made should start when the speech ends." The professor chortled as he filled himself a glass. "Would you like one, too, Kleff?"

The timid man shrugged, eyeing both of the men present. "Sure...I guess." He took the glass from Chamberlain's outstretched hand. A few yards away, Delita continued to rouse the crowd's interest, and the room seemed to shake with each favorable reaction.

"I've never heard a gathering this loud before," spoke Soren, "and I hope I'll never have to hear another. I'm afraid my ears can't take much more of the king's lively fans. And you can sit, gentlemen! No need to stand around like statues."

Kleff sat on the chair by the door, and turned to staring at his glass' contents. Suddenly, he spoke with a newly-found vigor. "A toast to the people and their new king. May they never be forgotten." Soren nodded and raised his glass high; Chamberlain followed suit, although his was half-empty. The three clinked their glasses from across the room.

The crowd shouted their agreement, as if they had been listening in.


	3. Frontwards and Upwards

**Chapter II: Frontwards and Upwards**

Ivalice's inauguration ceremonies tapered off as the week ended, but the overall mood maintained a cheery disposition. Decorations were tucked away into attics, partiers returned to their jobs, the economy had found a second wind in Delita Hyral. Even as the firework displays and feasts started to become distant memories, speculation of how the new king would christen his era in was on everyone's tongues. Stabs in the dark had included improving agricultural methods, cleaner town areas, more festivities, even; yet, all fell short of Delita's plan.

---

The forest abruptly ended into a spacious collection of ancient knolls, carpeted in grass reaching upwards of six-foot-high. Globules of dew hung off of the green tips like festival ornaments, rosy orange in the glow of a far-off sun. Literally untouched by time, no signs of active civilization sprung to view. It was strange to be able to smell the lack of people and livestock, and this was the first thing that came to Delita, someone who had visited ever kingdom in Ivalice far and wide. "This is the place."

An ornate carriage pulled out of the darkness and stopped in the short buffer zone between the forest and the field of grass. Out of the chocobo-drawn carriage, Delita stepped down, taking careful steps not to dirty his attire. Not inconspicuous in the least, he flaunted the crown atop his head, royal-red robes eddying as the breeze rummaged through. He took in what little view there was before turning to greet his four associates, exiting the two carriages from whence they came.

Chamberlain was dressed in a field expedition suit, as if he were going to be collecting bugs and slimy things under rocks. His plump figure did not belie his excitement, and he quickly ran to inspect the area after giving a courteous "good morning" to Delita. Kleff had shared a carriage with him and looked semi-excited, no doubt having heard of the wondrous adventures that were sure to come. He was sleepy-eyed and dressed for a business meeting, no doubt unaware of what was to take place.

Antirine jumped out of the next carriage, his armor banging loudly to convey his unspoken irritation. This was supposed to be a quiet day, he thought, sending the entire area up in flames with a single, scornful gaze. He immediately lit his pipe, content not to talk with anyone. Looking as brisk as ever, Tartar ducked out from the interior, commanding everyone's attention for a moment without even doing anything. He had talked with Delita about this excursion the night before and had an idea what was about to come. He nodded politely and let Delita have his full attention, ignoring the others in the meanwhile.

As everyone acclimated themselves to the surroundings, Delita spoke. "Welcome to the great outdoors, gentlemen. Sorry to take away your free hours, but this is of most importance." Antirine growled somewhere underneath his metal sheath, but was careful not to attract any attention. Everyone else gave a smile or nod, and Delita continued, the overpowering urge to confess his plan warming his blood.

"I'm sure you are wondering why you are here, but that will be revealed in a short while. This location is a secret place, and I trust you all to keep it that way; if the right people were to be notified of our presence, this entire operation could be compromised." Delita beamed, and everyone could see an undercurrent of intrigue rushing to his head. He beckoned with one hand to the grassy jungle. "This, my friends, is the future of Zeltennia."

Tartar took a step forward, as if he was about to take over the explanation, but Delita carried on, walking over to one of the tall stalks. He removed his crystalline sword--"an impractical theater prop," Antirine had secretly branded it--and quickly chopped one down. Getting an idea of what they were going to be doing, everyone else brandished their own, except for Hollister who didn't carry one on him; he took out a knife.

Delita turned shortened another three blades of grass before turning around. "Have any of you heard the stories of the olden days?"

Hollister spoke up with pride, as if had been there. "The days when Ivalice wasn't settled, you mean?"

"No, not that far back. I'm talking about the days of the airships."

Delita waited for a collective gasp, but only one came from Kleff, and that was more of a cough to make sure he heard the king straight. Was he really proposing that they dig for airships? Why, they are only rumored to have existed in the first place! Survane had lived in Goug for the majority of his life (in face, he was an Engineer) and even there, in the most technologically advanced place in Ivalice, they hadn't even found an airship. Kleff looked around and saw his peers' countenances unchanged. Did they have any idea what he just proposed?

"Sire, what does this mean? I don't understand." Suddenly, it felt as though the sun's rays were shining directly on him. Was he supposed to be captivated or offended? What could the farm country of Zeltennia do that the machinists of Goug couldn't? Kleff quickly wiped his brow with a handkerchief. He should have faked an illness.

"Yes, I suppose many of you are wondering about the legitimacy of this affair. I would like to say that I'm completely sure it's true, but as the information is sketchy and vague, I can't reassure you. However, the prospect of this opportunity is so great that I can't pass it up. I would hope you all take this seriously, in the case that we do stumble upon something useful."

"But where did you learn of such a thing, Your Majesty? I have not heard any such myths of airships in this area," Hollister piped in.

Delita hesitated, catching the words on his tongue. He had actually learned of this information while coming in contact with the Shrine Knights and similar shady groups in the past. There was absolutely no way he could affiliate himself with such crowds, even in the confines of this loyal group. "I'm afraid I can't indulge you, professor, but I would hope you handle this task with consideration."

"Of course I will, Your Majesty, but..."

Delita interrupted. "Don't you trust me?"

"Of course I do, Your Majesty, but..."

Delita interrupted again. "Then do as I command."

Even Tartar was taken aback at Delita's exercising of royal authority. He hadn't seen Delita lose his temper thus far into his reign, and he was by his side when foreign ministers and audiences were held. Perhaps that king was divorcing himself from that timid image he had once had? Tartar looked to Antirine, eyes twinkled with concealed laughter. Perhaps it amounted to nothing more than Hollister getting caught in Delita's trap.

"Now then," Delita said, breaking the awkward silence, "let's have at it, shall we?"

Quick on the rebound, Hollister chimed in a wholehearted agreement, running towards the grass with his knife in hand. Perhaps he had thick skin in more way than one. Delita was glad this situation had passed and beckoned the rest of his crew to join in. They did so leisurely, neither of them leaping at the chance but none wanting to fall victim to another situation like they had just seen.

Once Delita, Chamberlain, and Survane had disappeared into the overgrowth, Antirine kicked the wheel to the nearest carriage to vent, breaking a wooden spoke off with the iron toe of his boot. "What a stupid waste of time." With a lightning-quick swing, the nearest shoot of grass was divorced from its grassy body.

---

Hours without a sign of anything human-made passed slowly. Delita was accompanied by Chamberlain and Tartar, both of whom had disappeared somewhere together. Antirine was alone and had gone off in a northeasterly direction, slicing things in half as he saw fit. This really was a waste of time, he had decided, and he was quickly becoming discontent. The end of the third hour found Antirine sitting on the bald crest of a hill, the grass around him cut down to jagged stumps. His sword now hung lazily in his calloused hand, and he started to walk back to the carriages on the makeshift path he had created. A familiar face hadn't shown up in two or more hours and his patience was quickly being siphoned away.

"Antirine!"

Somewhere, Kleff's voice bellowed, and the walls of green rustled crunched as he ran to find him. Antirine betrayed his direction with a baritone whistle, and he returned to halving the area around him. He's probably lost, the dark knight thought, somewhat amused. It would be just like him to have moped around and vanished. Kleff's voice called out again, and this time it was closer. Antirine decided to humor him with a reply.

"Yeah," he half-yelled, using momentum to double his weapon's workload. Hopefully he would leave him alone if he was hungry; there wasn't anymore dried meat on him. Overhead, the noonday sun only served as a reminder to how much more time could be spent out in the middle of nowhere. Antirine sliced another yard and as he brought the sword down again, Kleff's youthful face poked out of nowhere. A split second later, the wet sword blade stood a breath away from his neck.

"Be more careful, you idiot," Antirine derided, tucking his sword away with deliberate oomph. It made a gritty, unrefined iron sound that made Kleff's teeth grind. Catching his breath, the newcomer attempted to explain the situation as best he could.

"There...was...a...skeleton..."

Antirine suppressed his urge to laugh. "No wonder. You can barely tell which way is up in here."

"No...I...don't...mean..."

"Spit it out already!"

"Iron...skeleton..."

The wind heaved the leafy stems into Antirine and he punched them away thoughtlessly. An iron skeleton! Out here in the boondocks! Even when he had visited Goug, there had been no discovery of such a thing, let alone anything that could be considered a "skeleton". Perhaps Delita had just found something else...

"Come on," Kleff murmured before being swallowed up once more. Antirine wanted to interrogate him now that he'd caught his breath, but it would be just as good to see first-hand. He followed the noise trail in silent disbelief, his attention piqued after much effort.

---

After Kleff was sent back into no man's land, everyone set to work in clearing a field of vision. Delita would let his subjects do the work for him, and he joined in the frenzy, breaking his sword in for what little use it had seen. Soren and Hollister worked around side opposite Delita. Hollister's attention was elsewhere, for obvious reasons, and did little with his knife. Soren, however, blazed his finely-crafted piece with expert strokes, rocketing tufts of plant life in all directions. In an hour, a crude circle arced around the ship ruins, and it was well worth it.

The frame had fallen on its side, the metal mechanisms scattered around like useless debris. Hollister had long since gotten over his open-mouthed shock, and had taken it upon himself to inspect everything, even though Soren had attempted to himself. There was no way he was stealing the satisfaction from this! Each piece of pipe and plating only confirmed that traveling the skies might once again become a possibility. Anyone who participated in a revival would surely receive an accolade greater than any award--a place in history. Hollister quickly scrambled to and fro, his fleshy frame bouncing with childlike glee. A second coming of airships! Who wouldn't be excited!

Even though Delita had been the one to find it, he let the professor run around and inspect everything while he just gazed at it. Most of the airship stories that he had been told about described them as mammoth, metal-and-wood beasts, capable of making or destroying a nation. "What do you think, Soren?" Delita asked his nearby friend, who had stooped to get a better look at a complex-looking piece. Soren got back on his feet and brushed the dust and dirt off his hands.

"I'd be lying if I didn't say that this entire project is dangerous, but I, too, would like to see it completed. Do you think we could use this airship as a guiding model?"

Delita scratched his cheek, unsure of how to proceed. "I suppose so. I'm still amazed that we found anything..."

Soren turned back to studying the toppled-over carcass, making mental notes for the report he would eventually transcribe on the subject. The airship itself, or what was left of it, appeared to have just fallen over from an erect position, probably by the elements. Over the years, the grass had devoured it and it was forgotten. The surrounding land was infertile which is no doubt why it hadn't been transformed into a township or sorts. As far as Soren could guess, the shape of the airship was like a flat-bottomed boat, which rounded upwards from a oblong base.

Soren sidled along the edge of the metal husk, stepping over a dirty pool of pitch-black liquid. "What's this...ooze," he yelled over to Delita, who had taken to inspecting an odd Y-shaped object on a pole.

"It's known as oil!" Hollister fired back from somewhere, only too happy to oblige.

"Oh," Soren mumbled inwardly, noting it for future reference. This was a lot to cover, more than anything he'd written on taxation or the Glabados Church. He quickly estimated the specs for the ship and walked back to Delita, still tinkering with the y-shaped device. He guided it with his hand before whipping it around; it spun.

"What's that thing?"

"A weapon, maybe? There are a lot more of them over there."

Without warning, the vegetation opened up and coughed out the king's two absent soldiers, their faces misshapen with agitation. The return trip had consisted of Kleff getting lost twice and falling in a large mud hole; his cheeks hadn't lost the rosy tint of embarrassment yet. Antirine was less dirty and more composed, but clenched his weapon as if his restraint had evaporated. The grassy opening quickly disappeared as if the recent movement had made no impression at all.

"Hell of a trail to blaze," Antirine spat, wiping a clump of muddy residue off his breastplate.

"I'd imagine it was," Soren commented. He looked up them up and down, envisioning what had happened en route. There would be no need to ask any stupid questions. "Since you have yet to see this massive wreckage for yourself, Mr. Antirine, feel free to do so now. We won't be staying much longer."

"That's nice," Antirine said, doing his best to hide his interest. The mere sight of such a forgotten piece of time was enough to make even him throw down his stubbornness and walk around like an inspector. He had a faint idea of what some of the pieces were, but his time in Goug had remarkably short. Memories of the noisy town seeped back into his mind, reminding him that this could turn out beneficial to him as well. He chuckled. Machines didn't captivate him as much as most would, but he was acquainted with the potency that could be milked out of such tools.

Twenty yards around the perimeter of the former airship, he came face to face with a door to a metal-enclosed room. It hung agape, a rusted lock on the ground beside it. Smack in the dab of the lop-sided room, Hollister walked around, opening and shutting metal boxes. Antirine approached silently, hovering in the doorway like an apparition. The professor swore in Romandan as one of the boxes remained obstinate, not opening even as his portly fingers pried. He bounced back skittishly when he noticed the dark knight gazing at him.

"You ghoul!" he barked, quickly trailing off lest the others rush to see what had happened. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Seeing what trouble you're causing." Antirine ducked through the door frame, taking a look around for himself. A few opened boxes littered the floor, a large metal crank jutted out of the back wall, a few useless pipes stuck out of a drawer, the shredded remnants of a tapestry hung backwards on the wall/floor.

"I'm not causing any trouble, you scoundrel," the professor growled, getting on the defensive as he watched Antirine touch a few things here and there. Dirtying up the airship's treasures! "Hmph, don't mess anything up. The contents will all be shipped back to Zeltennia when time permits. It's a wonder these things are still intact."

"A wonder to you, maybe. Anyone could see you took them out of those boxes over there," Antirine scoffed, stifling the air of superiority the professor was throwing at him.

"Why do you say that?" encouraged Hollister, almost daring the knight to point out any other glaring faults."

"The footprints in the age-old grime, the disturbed dust patterns, you breaking into the room in the first place. A stablehand could see such things. Really, it's elementary, my dear professor." He went over to the metal crank and twisted it as far as he could. This was obviously the steering column, but he'd lead the academic wonder along for a while longer.

"Ahh, very well done; you are correct. I don't suppose you're much of an inventor-type, are you?"

Of course Antirine was. You can't make a living in Goug unless you can work machines, and Antirine had spent a fair share of time helping out the machinists on their contraptions. Water conduits, steel giants, mine shafts...you name it, Antirine had tinkered on it, studied it, helped perfect it. Really, it was too bad that he was the hired muscle for Delita, because all that knowledge went to waste. Not like he was inclined to flaunt it, though; save that show for the gaudy, self-important, university pigs. Oh, he only remember too well how--

"A little," came the reluctant reply. Keep the past in the past, Antirine, you idiot.

Rubbing his neck in thought, Chamberlain just stared, debating whether he was telling the truth or not. The truth didn't matter anyhow, not at this point in time. "Well, Zeltennia could use anyone any free hand when we this resurrect this beast. I'm sure you know important this is to everyone."

"Of course."

"Just think of it. Human beings traveling the skies like storybooks had described, blotting out the clouds in an attempt to defy the gods. I'm not sure why technology died out back then, but I'm determined not to let it happen again. History damns those who forget it, I'm sure you know."

"Of course." Antirine took a seat on an overturned barrel. Letting the professor ramble would pass the time.

"Just imagine the innovations it would do to today's world. No longer would daylong chocobo trips be the only means of quick transportation; no longer would communication between kingdoms lay on the shoulders of messengers; no longer would warfare be a bloodfest of swords and shields. I see these things and want them to occur. Do you understand where I'm coming from?"

"Of course."

"Is that all you are going to say?"

"Of course not." The professor looked at him wide-eyed, waiting for him to add in his own two cents. He wasn't sure he should reveal his position on anything at this time, but chewing the fat was always better than baking outside.

"Alright, here's what I think. Airships will revolutionize the kingdom in all the facets you pinpointed. It will throw us into a new age, and I'm not talking one of leisure and happiness. The return of flight for men will doom them all, for there is no way that such a secret can be kept for long. Other nations will mimic the ways of us and we will not have the upper hand once again. So on and so forth until everyone kills each other."

"That's certainly a pessimistic way of looking at things. Don't you think that airships will do more good than harm?" The professor sounded almost hurt.

"I don't deal in conjecture. Other countries will want to have airships and will try until they succeed; fact. Other kingdoms will squabble over control of the air; fact. No one knows how the airships became lost knowledge, but I'll tell you: the power to change changes those with the power."

"You're just guessing at the future."

"Just a second ago you were proclaiming the freedoms you would receive upon the completion. Construct an entire fleet, it won't matter. There will always be some sort of network that wishes the demise of those freedoms. Not to spin one of my philosophies on you, but nothing is secure in its own right."

"You seem troubled by the news," the professor muttered, coaxing more information out of Antirine. The knight saw the focus change and shook his head. "That is enough talk for today. I'm going to check in on the others." He was off the barrel and out the door in a matter of seconds, leaving the professor agape at his sudden displeasure to have the conversation.

The professor waddled out of the doorway and around to the others. Delita and Soren held a private conversation off to the side, while young Kleff tinkered with the y-shaped device. Hollister was sure that his partner in science had already identified it as a propeller, as had Antirine. Maybe. The dark, threatening knight had left a little of his mystery in the pilot's room. Even as the professor rejoined the others, Antirine ceased to acknowledge his presence, almost as if he was ashamed at the crack that had been made in his brooding nature.

Delita broke off mid-speech everyone rejoined. Apparently, he had been getting restless to return back to Zeltennia and was taking it in silent strides. Everyone had noticed how that, even with the power he was bestowed, he didn't exercise his right to be childish and fickle. Maybe that was because of his vague dependency on everyone's input; his four pillars.

"How did it go, professor?"

"Just fine, Your Majesty! Everything seems to be broken or rusted away, but I'm positive it can be repaired with the staff we have on hand at the castle. There is no doubt in mind that the rebirth of airships is on the horizon."

"Great! That's what I like to hear!" Delita fiddled with the jewel-encrusted crown atop his brown locks, thinking of something important to say. Soren stepped up in his stead. "Our work today has gone a long way in the service to the king, and everyone will be rewarded greatly for their contributions. Don't get let your head hit the ceiling yet, though; there is plenty more to do and see before the first motor runs and the ground loses its grasp on humanity once again.

Hollister's ears perked up. "Did he just say 'motor'?" A sly grin crossed his face, though no one else seemed to have noticed. So, even Soren Tartar, who was more accustomed to writing papers and playing right-hand man to Delita, had an interesting background he hadn't shared with anyone. This secret knowledge that the professor almost made him giggle.

"So," continued Tartar, "if anyone has no other affairs to take care of now, we can all head back to the carriages. Antirine, if you would." This was the first time that Antirine noticed that there was no exit path. He scowled under his helmet and popped his red-hued sword out, angry that anyone would have the audacity to just walk around the green ocean without doing work themselves. He set to speed-carving out a walkway, which everyone took for go-get-'em eagerness.

And so, nothing had really changed the situation from the time the carriages rolled in to when they rolled out. But, it was a start, and one that would spread its wildfire mentality to the people involved. After all, who better to advance the nation forward than those who had the means to do so?


	4. Into the Ether

**Chapter 3 -- Into the Ether**

The rock face tapered off, angled itself downward, and resentfully slipped beneath the waves. The crags and water pools below breathed in the sea water exhaling foam before catching it back in the tide, giving it another try a moment later. Angular rocks jutted out from within walking distance of the thin beach and multiplied: a solemn reminder that this was no ship's friend. This was a minor excerpt of the Barrens, a soured stretch of skeletal hills and primeval quarries that brushed up against the seaboard before rolling west to the Finath. Rotting plants and weak topsoil made the site unsettling, and even the few monsters were skin and bones; needless to say, the lack of agriculture only provided an easy excuse for townspeople to stay away. This was also an invitation for other characters to move in. Antirine, tucked away in his dark metal shell, propped himself up against a vertical splinter of granite, his hand dragging a tobacco cigarette in the dusty breeze.

Out and below, three flat-topped barges floated in tandem, slowly trawling through the midday shadow cast by the barrens above. A few of the castle's soldiers sat lazily around the rims of the boats, talking amongst each other. One strapping man even noticed his commander on the skyline and waved; Antirine threw up a hand to show that he was also being attentive. The men laughed and turned back to guarding the freight. Each oar-stroke lapped at the unusually calm surface, propelling the wooden behemoths to the miniscule bay where the docking and unloading would begin.

"You're a regular ship's mate today," Tartar mocked as he approached from behind the dark knight, having just made the climb up from the makeshift pier below. He was dressed in his usual white armor and had a lightweight duster on as well, fragranced with sea spray. "How are your men doing?" he queried, fishing out his cigarette from his pocket-sized case.

Antirine spit over the ledge. "Slow as hell, but that's how it's going to be. If any of those relics falls overboard, I'll have a falling out of my own, if you get my drift. Happen to remember the completion time offhand?"

Tartar peeked over the cliff, watching the first ship maneuver itself between the towering entrance. It brushed the cliffside but managed to pop out the otherside without damage. "Two weeks and some change, maybe...It depends on the weather and the waves."

"Saw the last of the assembly compartments being made awhile ago...gouged right out of that bedrock. Tomorrow the woodwork'll be set up, doors and the like. We just need to get the haul down there and seal the place off as quick as possible."

"Precisely," said Tartar, shooting gray wisps outward. "If we get thunder showers and gales, the crafts may sink. Those bits and pieces of that airship floating around down there...it's making me nervous already, if you can believe it. Who knows if any of those components can be replaced? Our professor's got it under wraps -- and I do mean under _wraps_ -- but things can still go awry as it stands."

The second ship had just turned to enter, and they both stopped talking a moment to watch it sail through. Judging by the bulging under the burlap tarps, they were pipes and machinery that could not be assembled. "The professor knows those bits and pieces. Did you see his inventory list?"

"I did. Enough paper to float these parts themselves."

Antirine let out his bark-laugh and the crew of the second ship picked up their pace, thinking they were the brunt of a funny joke. "Did you hear how he got the ships in the first place?"

Soren shook his head, but he had an idea. "Waving his diplomacy around, was it?"

"Nearly. Right after we found the ship, he takes a trip to Goug with only a few soldiers and a carriage...Delita's request. He gets down to the machine city, meets with the men in charge and asks for some barges. They ask why and he tells 'em that -- get this -- there was a plague up in Ordalia and that they were buring the dead at sea...a good will gesture by the new King. Do you remember the inauguration and some of the diplomats who came to congratulate Delita?"

Tartar scratched his chin. "Representives from Goug weren't there."

"Exactly. Had an explosion of sorts down in one of their metal refining factories and they wouldn't let anyone leave town...feared it was an inside job, to say the least. The higher-ups still feel guilty for not being able to go pay their respects to the new King and when Professor, in service of Delita, asks for some ships to ferry the dead, they give him four barges. I'm talking major cargo transport here, the type they use for their salvage operations in the Bugross. Chamberlain asks how much, they don't name a price -- it's a present to the new ruler. So, he effectively guilted them into giving him the ships. So, he rides up through Larner Channel with all of these ships in tow, and they go to the little pier east of the castle...I forget its name..."

"Land's End."

"That's the one. Now, awhile before, the carraige driver arrives back in Zeltennia after doing doubletime with his chobobos. He notifies Delita that the professor's coming back, the King goes down there. This is around the time they finally got that metal skeleton out of the field and brought it down to the castle."

"That all?"

"Can't say it is. Hollister pulls into Land's End with these giant floaters, standing at the foredeck like he's the figurehead. He lands and Delita asks him how he managed to procure them all. Get this: he says he used his bargaining tricks and acute sense of wit."

"Falsehood?"

"Of course! You've seen the guy in action. His pull only goes so far as attendants and engineers. I mean, not to speak badly of our upstanding Professor, but I think any of us could top his attempt. From what I've heard about that Survane kid, he probably could have gotten them to pay us for the trouble."

"Kleff's the diplomat of the group, so I wouldn't be surprised. Where is he, anyway? I haven't seen him around the grounds lately. And how did you know that Hollister was just puffing out his chest?"

Antirine chuckled again. "The soldiers work under me, so of course, they'll shoot the breeze during training. I was quite amused to find Hollister had taken advantage of the Gougians embarrassment, but what needs to be done needs to be done. I can't say I wouldn't have done the same thing, although..."

"...and about Survane?"

"Ahh. Yes, young Survane. Have you wondered why there aren't any boats out and about like usual?"

Tartar turned to face the sea and he finally noticed that it was just water and wind out there. Not a single vessel plunked around, aiming for their day's catch. "So, where are they?"

"Our fine young diplomat is keeping the fishermen at bay, down at the local saloon hangout. They all go there when they can't fish."

"But they can."

"Oh, but they can't. You see, he went down there on Delita's orders to keep them out of the way -- can't have them snooping around, stopping to say hello, loosening their tongues with gossip. One chilly morning, he arrives at the docks and tells them that the early frost has spooked the haddock to Romanda, where the current's warmer. Now, haddock make a bundle at the farmer's market in town, but cold-water fish don't. I don't know why, I'm not a fisherman. So, they all walk into town and he entertains them with stories of his alleged travels. He's got them wrapped around his finger, and they believe he's the greatest thing since fishing nets. I swear, I thought he had his work cut out for him, but he's doing just fine. Of course, the promises of government funds'll take the swagger out of any fisherman's step. Times have been tough in the past for these guys...they probably want to ride it out instead of wasting their time."

"Fine job, then. I was hoping he wouldn't amount to a firework-fetcher."

"I'm kind of surprised that you didn't know all of these stories."

"Yes, well...You seem to have gotten the upper hand on the news lately. Let me just say that for the last few days, my priorities have been redirected to something else of equal importance."

"If it's a new project, feel free to indulge me."

"In good time, in good time..." The third and last boat had just traveled into the bay and was already dropping anchor. The soldiers' whistles were all directed upwards at the two. Antirine shrugged and started walking back, tossing his long-dead cigarette over the side. It had burnt itself out while he was talking.

* * *

The ceramic clouds thinned to the horizon and back, the lofty sprawl baked orange in the post-midday. Wreathes of sunshine poked out above Zeltennia, but it was soon patched up in messy slurs by the wind. The last few days had been frigid and below-temperature at points, but the warm stillness made it seem like the winter winds were taking a break before they would cover the town in one fell swoop. 

Kleff exited the saloon, listening to his former company's jubilant beer-cries ring out for a moment before the ironwork door slammed shut. The dirt streets were appropriately empty, as the husbands who had been at work were rubbing their hands together as they anticipated their supper. The young man set out, trudging past the wagons and haycarts that marked the end of town and the beginning of the road to the castle.

On the outskirts, a man in a heavy shawl and cloak caught up with Kleff, resting a hand on his shoulder as he caught his breath. "Sorry I missed your work..." The voice was unmistakable: Delita was out and about.

"Sire, you shouldn't be out so late! You'll catch cold!"

"I'll be fine, Kleff."

The two began walking side by side en route to the castle gates, which were still a good half mile away. Zeltennia Castle looked inviting as it rested fat on its haunches, some of the windows shining white-light reflections. "You know, sire," Kleff began, stuffing his hands into his overcoat's deep pockets, "things are going off without a hitch at the fisherman's club. They haven't exercised any protests since a few days ago."

"I'm glad to hear of success. Those seafaring types are stubborn -- you must really have been in top form to keep them from their livelihoods."

"I can't take all the credit, Your Majesty. It was your suggestion in the first place."

Delita chuckled close-mouthed, pulling his loose garb in a bit. "Well, the part I have is much different from the part you all have. Thinking and doing just aren't the same thing. I'd love to be out there and fraternize with everyone, but my role in this picture doesn't allow for it."

"Oh, don't say that, sire. Your involvement is as important as mine or anyone's. This is your brainchild, after all. You knew where to find an airship when no one else had an inkling. That alone is worth its weight in the matter."

"Perhaps you are right. I just have this notion where I'm not being worthwhile unless I'm at the forefront of the thing. Antirine and Tartar are out inspecting the transport, you've just gotten back from your day out on the town, Hollister is working for me in his laboratory...Just inventing ideas doesn't convince myself I'm part of the action."

"I understand," said Kleff, his eyes on the nearby gate. "...but don't be too discouraged. Your legacy's in the making, and it's sure to be a long one. There will be plenty of opportunities to take advantage of."

The two approached the gate, waiting for the gate guard to notice them on the bridgework above the large swing gate. Delita looked at his companion who said nothing while he waited, and dug in his coat pocket. "I'll meet up with you all later for a late dinner," said the King, grasping at the flowers in his hands. "I have some business to take care of elsewhere."

Kleff took his eyes off the gate to look at the flowers in the his liege's hand. "Little blue clusters...they're beautiful. How did you manage to get them this late into the cold season?"

"A vendor had some of them, don't ask me how."

"Where are you going, then, if I may ask?"

"There's a cemetary nearby. I need to pay my respects."

Kleff felt as if the subject was drawing to a steady close, so he didn't bother to ask if it was his family or friends. He just nodded and saw the King a ways down the path to the graveyard. The remants of a broken-down church, minus the steeple, were visible from the bend of the road. Before he could ponder the significance long, he heard a gruff voice reach out and grab him in the dull light.

"Hey, you!"

Survane whirled around to see the guard leaning on the railing, staring at him with dinner-plate eyes from under his open helm. "Kleff, you coming in or what? Who knows when a squidlarkin'll attack you!"

Kleff waved him off as he walks into the castle environs. Delita shouldn't be long.

* * *

The banquet table was piled high and long, with roast duck and pheasant as the night's main course. Since his four friends' arrival, Delita had requested that, rather than eating alone, he dine with the company of those who he surrounded himself with. This was opposed lightly, with tradition and security cited as the main reasons, but in the end Delita's wishes could not be refused. 

"Very delectable," said the professor as he applied his handkerchief to his pudgy face. "My compliments to the chef...no, the entire staff! I haven't had fowl like this since I was in Lesalia!"

"Lesalia? You should drop down to Limberry sometime. Everyone seems to get spend their time feeding the birds down there. Bird feeders, handouts...After seeing the amount of corn and bread they toss away over there, you'd think the game was the reason they were hit so hard in that drought a few years back. Mighty tasty pheasant, though." Antirine shook a bit with glee as he cut himself another sizeable slab of wing off his plate.

Tartar sniffed his wine and took a sip, shaking his glass goblet as he felt the age. "Well, Limberry is an agricultural nation, and they often get surplus grain to store away. If you don't use it, it molds and rots. Can't say I'm surprised they feed their feathered friends as much as they do."

Antirine rested his elbow on the table, pointing his fork. "I have nothing against any of those folks fattening up their birds, but when you know the drought may be coming, a guy'll need all he can horde. It's one of those perennial things...they should know by now."

"So," said Kleff as he rolled a piece of meat in some gravy, "you're saying you don't care so long as they don't feed the birds in a drought year? Kind of odd,  
if you ask me..."

Antirine gazed around the table, cutting what was left of his meal as he did. "That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying a man has to look out for himself, and by tossing food to the birds whenever they come a-knocking, it's a waste of the harvest. Don't get me wrong, now. I don't mind if a Limberrian wastes a harvest on food that I eventually eat, but it's the general principle that's stupid."

The king himself sat comfortably at the head of the table, his back to the north window. He was enjoying himself, listening to his subordinates bicker over these meaningless things. Perhaps that was one of the reasons he enjoyed them so much. It was sure doing wonders to lifting his move after getting back to the castle.

"Gentlemen," he began, "could we discuss our project at hand? I'd like to be updated, if possible. I may attend the scene tomorrow and a briefing right now would give me time to digest. Soren?"

Tartar cleared his throat with the rest of his wine, commanding everyone's attention when the knives and plates stopped rattling. "Well, Your Majesty, the transportation of the airship pieces is going smoothly. The ships from Goug are sturdy and they are getting the job done, needless to say. There are only three ships out there right now, but there is a fourth if we need to speed up the movement. Three days and they should all be moved, provided the skeleton can be disassembled without any delays. That's the last piece to go."

Delita rubbed his nose. "If you're saving the fourth ship as a backup, don't bother. We can spare it, even if it only knocks a few hours off of the overall completion time. I'm sure your men would appreciate the rest they get before the bay area's sealed off, Antirine?"

Antirine swallowed his bite and nodded. "Unloading barrels and moving metal parts is light work compared to the normal routine. I'm sure you could speed up the process by a few days if you just yelled at 'em a couple times." Again, he found amusement in his own words, taking a draught of his ale as a toast to his own wit.

"Nevertheless, getting the area sealed off is the point of no return. Hollister,  
if you would."

The professor sat up straight and set down his greasy knife. "I have thought about many methods for sealing the area off, Your Majesty. The first and most difficult manner would probably sealing the bay off from the sea and displacing the water somehow. There are no large-scale engines that could pump water out, at least that I know of, and I cannot complete one in accordance with the schedule, even if Kleff gave me a hand. The second one is that, after the cargo has been delivered and the assembly begins, the area is sealed off like normal,  
but the entire area gets padded."

"'Padded?' Delita interrupted. He wasn't sure if the professor had just made up the term for lack of a better definition, of if he was just in the dark again.

"It means that the area will still have water in it, but the ship will float mostly on structured pads...sort of like pillows. Well, that's a bad analogy. Since the assembly area is level with the bay, it wouldn't be extremely hard to place these iron 'pillars' at intervals that allowed for easy floating."

"And just what is the airship going to be floating on" Tartar inquired. "The wood around these parts waterlogs easily and they sink like rocks after awhile. I don't see any other options, unless you can make solid stone float."

The professor sat silent for a moment. "Well, the entire area wouldn't have to float. Like I said, at select intervals, the floatation pieces would be reinforced to hold everything up...to carry the weight of the finished product. Since the area will be sealed off from the sea, the weather should not factor in as much..."

"But how do you know it will hold?" Antirine asked between bites.

"The bay was formed by the sea out of the cliffside by the repetative motion of the sea. If you've been down there, you'll notice there is no beach. There never was a beach -- it was carved out of the stone. The stone doesn't just end where the eye can't see. I have confidence that my plan would work."

The professor looked to Delita, his eyes asking for a reply. "Well," said the King, "if you can place the trust in the iron workers or masons or whoever will be making these structures, and the schedule can proceed as planned, by all means do it. Of course, don't get too creative with it...I don't think the tiny bay will be the permanent housing place for the airship."

"So it's settled," Kleff said with finality. "The birth of an airship is almost at hand."

"With the gate being closed off in the same fashion as a sluice, I imagine that the hard part is over," said Tartar. "Not having a roof might be inconvenient, what with the winds bringing signs of snow soon. But, if the timing is held, I do believe that we will be flying for the first time since the end of the old technological era." Soren spoke with such reverence and proudness that everyone sat for a moment without realizing the silence. Antirine broke it by stabbing a piece of meat on his plate.

"Well," said Delita, as he pulled his roomy chair back, "we've got a busy day ahead of us tomorrow. I trust you'll all be in top shape, because the first step to doing any of enacting our plans is sticking a gate on the bay entrance."

Kleff put down his silverware and wiped his mouth with the embroidered napkin near his right hand. "Soon, we'll all be in the ether, just like the days of old and no one can say we didn't work for it."

It was agreed that he was most correct.


End file.
